tiexp: the city: housing
San francisco is almost certainly the most expensive city in the united states. Housing prices are astronomical due to the lack of available housing. One bedroom apartments routinely rent for $2000. Things aren't changing any time soon. Nearly all new construction is more luxury condos in the $700,000 to million dollar range, for essentially one bedroom flats.

Grassroots efforts to add to the city's housing supply focus on a few subsidized affordable housing units. The nations' most restrictive rent controls create a strange cycle of ever increasing rent. Landlords immediately jack up rents whenever their tenants move out and free the unit from the strict rent control, so many tenants will never move by choice. This locked up rental housing bank keeps market rents high, and makes removing rent control impossible, as thousands of current renters would be out in the street if they had to pay today's ridiculous market rents.

Buying a home is impossible for mere mortals. This situation leaves many to accept the ultra high rents, or take slummy and frequently illegal in-law rooms, or leave the city. Many highly paid professional workers shack up with three or four others to pay the rent on a modest house.

As a sudden new supply of rental housing, treasure island provides a unique opportunity for city residents. In addition to the regular market rate housing on the island, the city also provided units to agencies that house the homeless and recovering addicts. That's all part of the experiment.

If you have an interesting story related to your housing situation, please let us know. Here are online resources to help in finding a place here: